The Black Hole Debacle by Keri Claiborne Boyle

Fellow Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators member, Keri Claiborne Boyle, has written the absolute best picture book, “The Black Hole Debacle” (2022). It is the perfect blend of humor and information! Jordie is sitting in geography class when she discovers a black hole hiding in her desk. She secretly brings it home on the bus and hides it in her closet. As you can imagine, it starts consuming everything in her closet, except her unicorn underwear. Jordie’s last straw is when the gluttonous black hole slurps up her dog, Neptune! Jordie dives into the black hole to save Neptune…but she has a trick up her sleeve to return back home!! I absolutely adore the author’s fun alliteration and puns. 

Heart: Wow! I love finding a picture book that makes both the adult and child laugh. My children love watching Jordie’s things get gobbled up. They also love the article of clothing that “saves the day!” My 3.5 year old absolutely loves the “creepy” black hole illustration on each page. Could this book be used to kick-off a lesson on executive function and organization of materials? After all, Jordie may be a touch disorganized and no one wants their desk or closet turning into a black hole!

Head: This book really piques the reader’s interest in black holes. You watch Jordie jump into the black hole to save her dog, Neptune - she can’t hear, she can’t see and she starts getting “noodled.” The back matter at the end of the book takes a deeper dive into why this happens. Jordie’s “space camp” t-shirt says it all…space is cool!!